Feeding device having flexible tubular wall, with compound motion for peripheral discharge



sew. 14, 1948. E E LAKSO FEEDING DEVICE HAVING FLEXIBLE TUBULAR WALL,WITH COMPOUND MOTION FOR PERIPHERAL DISCHARGE Filed June 23, 1944 I NVEN TOR.

Patented Sept. 14, 1948 UNHTED STATES PATENT 1 UFFICE j U H r "2,449,395I i FEEDING DEVICE HAVING FLEXIBLE TUBU- LAR WALL, wrrn COMPOUND MOTIONroe rnairnnaar. prscnaacs l Eino Laks Fitohburg Mas s. 1 AppiicationJune 23, 1944, Serial No; 541,792

1 i l t This invention relates to a container or ,ap-

paratus for feeding or delivering articles therein arranged in noparticular or predetermined alignment, to a transferring apparatus,table, or the like.

Objects of the invention include the provision of a feeding device fordelivering a constant, flow of articles from a container and includingmeans for ejecting the articles at a controlled rate of speed Withoutmovement of the articles therein.

the container; the provision of a hopper or the like feeding meanscomprising a hollow container or receptacle having one end closed, saidclosed end being connected to side walls completing the container, saidend and walls being fixed with relation to each other, said side wallsbeing arranged to, be continuously shortened .without disturbing thefixed relation to. their .closed end, whereby articles therein will befed out of the container at the open edge thereof in a continuous fiow.l

. Still further objects of the, invention include i the provision of acontainer or receptacle having a bottom and side walls fixed thereto,the side Walls being flexible and beingtrained over a guiding means sothat the side walls can be smoothly and continuously increased or .de-

creased in height so as to increase or decrease the depth and volume ofthe container, there being means for accomplishing the variation in thedepth of the side walls. a l

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter. l

1 Reference is to behad to. the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. lis atop plan. View of a hopper or article feeding means embodying myinvention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross section through a cont ainer illustrating aform of the invention; and i Fig. 3 is a partial section illustrating amodification;

This invention embodies in general mechanisms for expelling articlesfrom the top ofra hopper ,in the form of a container having a closedbot- 11 cr ams. (01. 222-1 9) tom and. an open top, the container beinginclined to the vertical so as to provide that the articles will bedelivered from the lowermost point in the rim at the open top endthereof.

.In the present case there is illustrated in Fig. 2 a base l0 which maybe supported by any desired means as, for instance, illustrated in theabove mentioned application. The base ill will be seen to be inclined asis the case in the aforementioned application and centrally thereof basethis provided with afixed nut I2 receiving a screw threaded rod l4,whereby the latter upon being rotated will be axially travelledrelativeto the base.

I providea bracket or other like means l6 securedto base Ill or toanyother part of the device in fixed position thereon. Bracket l6. providesa journal as at 18 for a shaft 29, the latter having fixed thereto agear 22 meshing with a gear 24. The gear 24 is slidably keyed to the rodMas at 26 and a slide bearing 28 is provided for the rod, this hearingbeing mounted in the bracket. It will be seen that rod l4 will rotatewith gear 24 but is slidable with respect thereto.

At it upper end rod 14 is fixed to a spider or the like 30, the latterrotating and travelling with the rod l4. Acontainer or hopper bottom 32is fixedto the spidertil for movement therewith.

A frame. S lls mounted by means of arms. 36 on a ,boss38 supported onbracket i8, and the frame M is rotatably mounted on the bearing 28.Frame M may assume the form of a series of uprights secured together forinstance by a bottom ring 49 and a top ring 42, the latter, at least,making a substantially continuous .circle for. apurpose to be described.The framework til is constrained to rotate with the spider 3!! by meansofkeys M which engage in ways at 46 in the; spider, so that 'frame 34,spider 3B, and

bottom 32 all: rotate together, although the spider and hopper bottomare slidable longitudinally within the framework.

I provide a flexible tubular member 48 which is secured at one end tothe container bottom 32 and which is open at its other end, beingtrained over the ring 42 as is clearly illustrated in, Fig. 2

. tended that this ring shall be constrained so that it will not becomedetached from its position surrounding the frame.

In one form of the invention there are provided belts 54 which are eachsecured at one end to the ring 52 and at their other ends to the hopperbottom 32 or spider 30 as illustrated at 56. Intermediate of their endsthe belts are trained over pulleys 58 located atthe bottom of the frame34 as clearly shown in' Fig. 2. A chute 60 may be provided to receivearticles from the hopper or container as they are expelled therefrom,and if desired guide rails fiz may be utilized on chute 60. j

In the operation of the device the hopper bottom 32 is brought down toits lowermost position so that the container is provided with itsmaximum depth and volume. Upon being filled with articles 64, rod I4 isrotated by means of shaft 20 in the direction of the arrows surroundingthese elements and as the rod is rotated, the spider '30, bottom 32,continuous or'tubular side wall"38, and frame 34 are rotated therewith;the

container bottomi32 progressing upwardly longitudinally oftheframework', the latter remaining inits' original position and havingmerely arotary action. As the container bottom32 rises,

"the tubular'el'e'ment 48 will rise therewith in fixed relation theretoas respects the rotary action thereof, but the endof the flexibleelement 48 secured to ring 52"will descend in the direction of thearrow66 due tothe fact that" the belts 54 'will'enforce this action as willbe readily apparent because of their connection to the spider 30.

The above described construction provides a container having a tubular"side wall which is smoothly and continuously increased 'or decreased in"depth; when decreasing in depth; articles64 willb'e' spilled out overthe lowermostpoint in the rim of the container to feed the same at acontrolled rate of speed onto the surface 60. How ever, it is to beparticularly noted'tha't'there isno relative motion whatsoever betweenthe tubular'flexible element 48 forming the wall of the container'andthe container bottom 32,

whereby the articles in the container-will be carried upwardly and alsorotatably with no relative motion between the articles. In otherwords,the articles in the container are relatively motionless with regard tothe container itself" and there will be no tumbling'or grinding of thearti-' cles inter se nor will there be any abradin'g "ac- 'tionor infact any'motion whatsoever between the articles and the side walls'ofthe container. Those articles at the top of the container willbe firstexpelled and the only motion relative'to the container will be that ofthe articles as they fall from the top of the decreasing container wallsonto the chute. It is desired that it be clearly understood that thisconstruction "provides for a continuous flow of h'elte'r-skelterarticles in the container "without any relative motion between thearticles and the container during the process, as distinguished from ahopper'having a bottom exitwherein the articles must tumble in theirdownward movement since they. move in such case relative to the walls ofthe hopper. The sameis also true of hoppers having an upward orhorizontal feed wherein the bottom of the hopper slides relative to thewalls thereof. 7

When dry articles such as pills or pellets are to be fed, a clothtubular element will be used, and such' a cloth element may be quicklychanged or vwashed when the device is changed from feeding poisonous.materials to "ti'on.

v pills for human consump- If liquid is to be delivered, then a flexibleat their other ends to the bottom of the frame 34 as at 68. Otherwise,however, the construction or operation of the apparatus is the same asabove described.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do notwish to be limited 'to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than asset forth in the claims, but what I claim is:

1. In a device of the class described, a container comprising a bottomand an attached flexible tubular wall and having an open end,substantially continuous means over which the open end of the tubularwall is trained, and means for causing the bottom to approach said firstnained means and simultaneously causing the flexible tubular wall totravel over said first named means in a direction opposite to thedirection of movement of the bottom.

In a device of the class described, a container having an open end andcomprising a bottom and'a flexible tubular element secured at one end tothe bottom, a substantially continuous guide'over which the open end ofthe flexible tubular element is trained, and means for travelingsaid'flexible tubular element over said guide for continually shorteningthe effective height of the container'from'the bottom thereof to saidguide and in effect turning the container partially inside out.

3. In a device of the class described, a container comprising a bottomelement and a flexible cylindrical element secured thereto at one endand bein open at the other end, a ring-like member overwhich the openend of the cylindrical element is trained, means tomove'the bottomsecured to the cylindrical element adjacent the open end thereof and toa fixed part of thedevice.

5. A device as recited in claim 3 wherein said last named meanscomprises belts secured to the cylindrical element at the open endthereof, and to the bottom element of the container. l

6. A device of the class described comprising a support, a frame thereonhaving a substantially continuous edge, a bottom element movable in theframe a tubular flexible element secured to said bottom element andextending O t e e of the frame, means to move the bottom element in onedirection, said means being secured to the open end of the tubularflexible element to move the latter in the opposite direction todecrease the length of the container in the frame.

7. A device of the class described comprising a frame, a substantiallycontinuous rim at one end thereof, a flexible tubular element trainedover the rim all the way around the latter, the element depending intothe frame, means closing the tubular element within the frame, and meanspulling the open end of the tubular'ele- "ment down over said rimoutside thereof, thus 8. An apparatus of the class described comprisinga support, a frame rotatably mounted thereon, a bottom element rotatablewith but slidable in the frame, a flexible tubular element fast to saidbottom element and movable therewith, means on the frame to guide theflexible element, means to rotate the frame, bottom element and tubularelement together, means to slide the bottom element and tubular element,said last named means pulling the latter over the frame guide to shortenthe effective length of the tubular element in the frame.

9. An apparatus of the class described comprising asupport, a shaftrotatably and slidably mounted on the support, a container bottomsecured .to said shaft, a hollow rotatable frame, a flexible tubularelement fixedly secured to the container bottom within the frame, a rimon the frame, said flexible tubular element being trained over the rim,means tending to pull the flexible tubular element down over the rim,and means 6 to rotate the frame, bottom element and flexible elementtogether.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said last named means is resilient.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said last named means comprises aflexible belt secured to the tubular element and to the bottom elementand trained over the frame.

EINO E. LAKSC).

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

